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Best Things to Do
Top 10 Best Things to Do in Nara [2025]
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Nara Park
4.7
/5
1937 reviews
7.3
Based on 5,932 reviews
3.5 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-0375
Address: Nara, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 day
Featured in 2025 Global 50 – Spring Outings
Highlights:
Feed adorable Nara deer up-close
Feed deer & interact closely
Saved by 1423 users842 positive reviews
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Nara Station can take the bus, but after the city hall will be very traffic jam, it is recommended that the city hall get off, take the personal tunnel, a few hundred meters. The park is very large, there are a lot of deer along the way, it is the Spring Festival Club, and it is a toll attraction to go west to Ruocao Mountain. The journey takes about 20 minutes.
Whether it is a world heritage site such as Dongda Temple, Xida Temple, Xingfu Temple, Chunri Dashe, or cultural exhibitions in major museums, it is like announcing the cultural heritage of the city. Unlike these cultural heritages, Nara Park, where more than 1,000 fawn birds are also known for their charms. How many people come here to spend a leisurely afternoon with fawns! They are like cultural messengers in Nara, waiting for this place loyally; They are more like storytellers, you are close to them, they will stick to your ear unreservedly, like telling you the story of Nara! Come to Nara, buy a pack of deer cakes, interact with the deer, or bring a book, sit for an afternoon, here will make you forget the existence of time, isn't the meaning of travel just like this?
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Tōdai-ji
4.6
/5
1070 reviews
6.7
3.2 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-5511
Address: 406-1 Zoshicho, Nara, Nara Prefecture
Recommended sightseeing time: 2-3 hours
Highlights:
Traditional Water Festival in February
Huayan Temple's main monastery
Saved by 376 users339 positive reviews
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Going to Nara, if you don't go to Dongdaeji, it's a pity. Because you will miss the hall of the world's largest wooden structure, you will also miss the great opportunity to feel the charm of Tang Feng, and it is even more difficult to experience the joy of Liang Sicheng and other Chinese architectural masters who found Wutaishan Foguang Temple!
The scale is not small. There is a fee to enter the temple. The price is as shown in the picture. I personally recommend not to go to the museum. It is not very meaningful. There are several free temples outside the temple. You can take a look. There are many deer inside and outside the temple. Be careful when feeding. Keep your children behind you. Some 🦌 will attack people. Deer biscuits are not expensive. You can buy a pack. Some 🦌 will bow.
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Kasugataisha Shrine
4.6
/5
857 reviews
6.3
Based on 1,808 reviews
4 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-7788
Address: 160 Kasuganocho, Nara, 630-8212, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
Highlights:
Feed & interact with deer
Dedicated to four deities
Saved by 243 users239 positive reviews
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Near the highest point of Nara Park, it takes more than 20 minutes to walk after getting off the bus. There are many lights and deer along the way. Pay attention to the business hours. If you go too late, you can't get in. If you have been to Kasuga Taisha, you can go to Wakakusa Mountain to watch the sunset. You must arrive before 17:00, otherwise the ticket seller will lock the door after get off work and you can only go out but not in.
A shrine in Nara Park, built in 710, and rebuilt in 768 to protect Heijokyo and pray for national prosperity. The builder was Fujiwara no Fuhito, and it was built for the patron saint of the Fujiwara family, who was in power at the time. With the prosperity of the Fujiwara family, its status gradually increased.
The outer perimeter is free, the main hall is 700 yen, the treasure hall is 500 yen, and the Manyo Botanical Garden is 500 yen.
• Main hall building: The main hall is composed of 4 parallel shrine halls. The surface of the building is all painted vermilion, which is in harmony with the green jungle at the foot of Kasuga Mountain. The corridors, lanterns and shrine halls form a unique landscape painting.
• Stone lanterns: There are 3,000 stone lanterns and hanging lanterns in the shrine, with simple shapes. Many lanterns are covered with mottled moss, showing traces of time.
• Shrine Garden Plants: There are about 300 varieties of plants planted in the "Kasuga Taisha Shrine Garden", all of which are recorded in the ancient poetry collection "Manyoshu".
• Enshrined gods: The gods enshrined in the shrine include Takeo Tsuchigumi no Mikoto, Munetsu no Mukoto, Amagaya no Mikoto and Himei.
• Deer Messenger of God: According to the legend that Takeo Tsuchigumi no Mikoto came riding a deer, deer are regarded as messengers of God. There are many deer in Nara Park, which has become one of the characteristics of Kasuga Taisha.
• Cultural Relics Collection: The shrine also houses 3,000 cultural relics, including 520 national treasures.
• Important Festivals: The regular festival of the shrine is the Kasuga Festival on March 13. In the early Heian period, the palace festivals were held here. At that time, the Kasuga Festival was listed as one of the "Three Major Imperial Festivals" along with the Aoi Festival of Kamo Shrine and the Iwashimizu Festival of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine.
No.
4
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Mount Wakakusa
4.5
/5
219 reviews
6.0
Based on 372 reviews
4.6 km from downtown
Phone +81-742-220375
Address: Zoshicho, Nara, 630-8211, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-1.5 hours
Highlights:
Nara city night view
Spectacular January night mountain burning
34% positive reviewsRecently viewed by 1,000+ people
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The scenery is beautiful. You must buy tickets before 17:00, otherwise you can't get in. There are many deer inside. Almost half of the tourists are Chinese compatriots. Climb to the top of the peak and watch the sunset. It's very pleasant. Walk carefully, the mountain is a bit steep, watch the children, there is a toilet inside, the entrance and exit are different, and you will reach Todaiji Temple when you go out.
• Basic overview: Mount Wakakusa is located in Nara City, Nara Prefecture, Japan, between Todaiji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. It is 342 meters above sea level and covers an area of 330,000 square meters. From a distance, it looks like three overlapping hats, so it is also called Mount Mikasa.
Tickets are 150 yen, and entry is closed before 17:00. If the weather is good, you must come to Mount Wakakusa to watch the sunset, which is really beautiful. Check the sunset time in advance, and come in before 17:00 to take pictures and climb up. It takes 40 minutes to climb to the top. There are three peaks: the first, second, and third. The south is easier to walk than the north. Remember to buy deer biscuits when you come in, because they are not sold inside.
• Natural landscape and ecology: Mount Wakakusa is a lawn mountain. In spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, complementing the new green grass; in autumn, maple leaves are like fire, dyeing the hillside into colorful colors. This is one of the habitats of Nara deer, and Japanese macaques, squirrels and many birds live here.
• Climbing routes: There are mainly the Kasuga Primeval Forest Route and the Yagyu Kaido Walking Route. The former is suitable for walking, while the latter is suitable for hiking and exploration. It is also convenient to climb the mountain from the "Wakakusa Mountain Trailhead North Exit" behind Todaiji Temple or the "Wakakusa Mountain Trailhead South Exit" behind Kasuga Taisha Shrine.
• History and Culture: There is a front-front and back-rounded Warblerzuka Tumulus on the top of Wakakusa Mountain. Abe no Nakamaro, an envoy to the Tang Dynasty, mentioned Mikasa Mountain in his works, which is now Wakakusa Mountain.
• Wakakusa Burning Mountain: The "Wakakusa Burning Mountain" event is held on the fourth Saturday of January every year. There are different opinions on the origin. The more credible one is the boundary dispute between Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine. After arbitration, the mountain burning ceremony was held and gradually became a tradition. The mountain burning ceremony started at about 6:30 pm, and the entire 33 hectares of the mountain were covered by fire, which was a spectacular scene.
No.
5
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Toshodaiji
4.5
/5
257 reviews
5.3
Based on 646 reviews
2.1 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-33-7900
Address: 13-46 Gojo-cho Nara City
Recommended sightseeing time: 1-2 hours
No.2 of Family-Friendly Attractions in Nara
Highlights:
Ancient temple's autumnal majesty
Founded by Jian Zhen, 759
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Built in 759 AD and built in 770, it is the main temple of the Buddhist Lizong in Japan, and the Todai Temple Jietan Temple is listed as the two major temples for the dissemination and study of law. The gate of the temple is "Tang Zhaoti Temple", which is the font of the Japanese queen Xiaoqian imitating the king and the king. The temple has the Tianping Times Lecture Hall, the Jietan Temple, the Nara Times Jintang, the Kamakura Times Drum Tower and other buildings, Jintang, Jingzang, Drum Tower, Jianzhen statue and so on are known as national treasures. Jianzhen also brought China's Tang Dynasty high-level civilization, promoted the improvement of Japanese Buddhist, medical, architectural and sculpture levels, 1980 and 2010, Jianzhenxiang twice returned to Yangzhou "provincial relatives", 1998, Tang Zhaoti Temple as "the cultural property of the ancient capital Nara" Important parts are included in the World Heritage List.
The word Jianzhen Dongdu should be heard by many people, telling the story of Tang Dynasty monk Dongdu Japan spreading Buddhism and advanced Chinese culture. Tang Zhaoti Temple in Nara is the temple built by the Japanese for Jianzhen after the arrival of the temple, and there are many monuments and structures left in the past.
No.
6
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Kōfuku-ji
4.5
/5
347 reviews
4.6
Based on 1,347 reviews
2.4 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-7755
Address: 48 Noboriojicho, Nara, 630-8213, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 1 hour
Highlights:
Cherry blossoms bloom in Nara
Five-story pagoda & East Golden Hall
105 positive reviews
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• Origin and migration: In the eighth year of Emperor Tenji (669), Fujiwara no Kamatari no Namuro Kagami established Yamashina Temple in Taoyuan, Yamashina Village, Yamashiro. In the first year of Emperor Tenmu (672), it was moved to Umayano, Yamatotakaichi County, and renamed Umayano Temple. In the third year of Wasedo (710), when the capital was moved to Heijo-kyo, Fujiwara no Fuhito moved the temple site to the present site and changed its name to Kofuku-ji Temple.
• Development and rise and fall: It prospered with the prosperity of the Fujiwara clan and became one of the seven major temples in Nanto. In the Heian period, it also managed Kasuga Shrine, and its power was even greater. After the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, due to frequent wars and the recovery of the estate, the temple gradually declined. During the Meiji Restoration, it was affiliated with the Shingon sect. In the fifteenth year of the Meiji Restoration (1882), it became independent and once again became the head temple of the Hosso sect.
• Chukin-do: Built by Fujiwara no Fuhito, it is the central building of Kofuku-ji Temple. When it was first built, it was the largest temple in the Nara period. It was burned down many times and rebuilt in October 2018. It has the characteristics of the Tenpyo style.
• Five-story pagoda: First built by Empress Komyo in 730, the current pagoda was rebuilt in 1426. The pagoda is 50.1 meters high and is the second tallest pagoda in Japan. It is an important protected cultural relic in Japan.
• Three-story pagoda: Built by Empress Sutoku in 1143, the current pagoda was built in the early Kamakura period. 1,000 statues of Yakushi Nyorai, Shakyamuni Nyorai, Amida Nyorai, and Maitreya Nyorai are depicted on the internal wall panels of the first floor.
• Hokuen-do: Built to commemorate Fujiwara no Fuhito, it is an octagonal building similar to the Yumedono of Horyu-ji Temple. It was first built in 721 and the current building was built in 1210.
• Cultural Relics Collection: The temple has rich treasures, with more than 100 valuable cultural relics of national treasure and important cultural property level. The National Treasure Museum houses the famous Asura statue, the six-foot-tall Sakyamuni head statue, Buddha statues, paintings, crafts, historical materials, etc.
• Religious Status: Xingfu Temple is the main temple of the Dharma-Appearance Sect, one of the six sects in Nandu, and is also one of the seven major temples in Nandu. It is the central dojo of Dharma-Appearance and Abhidharma-Sasana teachings, and has produced many talents.
Record of the late autumn trip in Kansai in November 2019~
Kofuku-ji Temple is very close to Kintetsu Nara Station, and it only takes a few minutes to walk there. There are also deer along the street.
The highest temperature on this day in late November was 20 degrees. The Kofuku-ji Temple is so large that I just visited the temple hall and the tower a few times, and I was already sweating in the sun.
I came back and checked the information and found out that Kofuku-ji Temple contains so many buildings: Zhongjin Hall, Dongjin Hall, Nanyuan Hall, Beiyuan Hall, Five-story Pagoda, Three-story Pagoda, Dai Mido Hall, etc. At that time, I didn't distinguish them carefully, but just bought a ticket to enter the Zhongjin Hall to worship. You can't take pictures inside, everyone visits and prays quietly, and there are not many tourists. The temple always gives people a sense of tranquility and peace, and you feel relaxed and happy.
Dongjin Hall is next to the five-story pagoda, and Nanyuan Hall is a hexagonal spire building. You should buy a ticket to enter each temple separately.
No.
7
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Todai-ji Daibutsuden (Great Buddha Hall)
4.5
/5
84 reviews
4.6
Based on 72 reviews
3.2 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-5511
Address: 406-1 Zoshicho, Nara, 630-8587, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 hour
No.3 of Family-Friendly Attractions in Nara
Highlights:
Admire the 16-meter-tall Bronze Vairocana Buddha
Hand-feed cute Nara deer
28% positive reviews
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Free attractions, on the edge of Nara Park, you can come and walk during the day and night. At night, there are not many people. There are many deer on both sides. There are stalls selling deer cakes on the side, 200 yen apiece, there are many. Be careful with the deer, there will be many deer around. When you walk in, you will go to Toda Temple and buy tickets to enter.
The building is indeed very large, the proportion of the roof and the building is particularly comfortable, the proportion and perspective of the eaves from all angles are also very good, the building feels very simple, there are big Buddha statues inside, and there are many people who worship.
No.
8
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Nara National Museum
4.3
/5
156 reviews
4.5
Based on 495 reviews
3.1 km from downtown
Phone +81 50-5542-8600
Address: Japan, 〒630-8213 奈良県奈良市登大路町５０
Recommended sightseeing time: 2 hours
Highlights:
Todaiji treasures in autumn exhibition
National treasure Buddhist artifacts
39% positive reviews
Verified User Reviews
The Nara National Museum is divided into an old building and a new building. Photography is not allowed inside the museum, only the Vajra Hercules statue in the special exhibition can be photographed.
The Nara National Museum is located in a corner of Nara Park, adjacent to Todaiji Temple, Kofukuji Temple, Kasuga Taisha Shrine, etc.
In a relaxed and comfortable environment, you can feel the charm of Buddhist art and the rich historical and cultural essence behind it.
The bronze Buddha statue museum built in 1895 has only two halls open so far, and the rest are under construction. Many of them do not allow photography 📸! There is a Chinese version of the popularization of Buddha statues, which explains Tathagata, Bodhisattva, Mingwang, and Tian clearly!
No.
9
Todai-ji Nigatsudo (February Hall)
4.4
/5
227 reviews
4.4
Based on 760 reviews
3.6 km from downtown
Phone +81 742-22-3386
Address: 406-1 Zoshicho, Nara, 630-8211, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 hour
No.1 of Night Attractions in Nara
Highlights:
Rebuilt national treasure in 1669
Unique monk ceremony in February
25% positive reviews
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It is a free attraction worth visiting in Nara. It is located in the mountain area northeast of the Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple. It is built on the mountain and looks like a pure land on earth. The stairs leading to Nigatsu-do are lined with stone lanterns on both sides, creating a simple and peaceful atmosphere.
• Internal structure: As an important wooden structure in Todaiji Temple, it is built entirely of wood. It is not large in area and has excellent acoustic effects. Sounds can be heard clearly in any corner of the hall.
It can be traced back to the third year of Tenpyo Shoho (751). After witnessing the Eleven-faced Repentance Ceremony, Sanetada established Nigatsu-do the following year to enshrine the Eleven-faced Guanyin statue.
• Reconstruction process: In the second year of Owa (962), the monk's room collapsed due to a strong wind; it was rebuilt in the third year of Genkyu (1206); after the fire in the seventh year of Kanbun (1667), Tokugawa Ietsugu rebuilt the main hall and surrounding facilities nine months later.
• Statues enshrined: Nigatsu-do is also known as the Guanyin Hall. It enshrines two large and small Guanyin statues, and is also called the Guanyin Hall. However, these two Guanyin statues are "secret Buddhas" and are not open to the public.
• Ritual activities: It is a place specially used by the Buddhist community in Nara, Japan to hold the "Eleven-face Repentance Ceremony", that is, the Nigatsu-do Ceremony. The "Mimizutori" ritual in the ceremony is the most famous. Although the time of the Nigatsu-do Ceremony has been changed to March, it is still carried out in the traditional way.
• Overlooking the beautiful scenery: Climbing up to the second floor of Nigatsu-do, the corridor to the west can overlook the scenery of the entire Nara city. At dusk, the Nigatsu-do and the street scene of Nara in the distance are integrated under the setting sun, and the scenery is very magnificent.
• Unique atmosphere: The scenery varies in each season. In spring, cherry blossoms are in full bloom, with pink and white interweaving; in autumn, the garden is full of red leaves, and the golden and fiery red fallen leaves cover the stone slabs. No matter when you come, you can feel the unique tranquility and mystery.
There is also a lounge with a place to sit and rest and free tea. If you are tired of strolling around Nara, you might as well come here to rest.
Record of the late autumn trip to Kansai in November 2019~
That day, I played with the deer for too long, which delayed the rest of the trip. When I hurried to Nigatsu-do, it was already close to dusk. I was a little regretful, but I didn't know that I had encountered the most beautiful Nigatsu-do.
At the entrance leading to Nigatsu-do, there was a thick layer of golden ginkgo leaves on the ground, and I was instantly mesmerized by the beauty. Walking in, I saw a few uncles and aunts who were photography enthusiasts, saying that the sun was starting to set, and it was the most beautiful time for taking pictures. I immediately looked up and saw that the temple was wrapped in layers of red, yellow, and green, and the afterglow of the sunset was shining, and I immediately became energetic.
Climbing up to the second floor, many tourists gathered here to look down at the Great Hall and enjoy the sunset. Everyone quietly looked at the city of Nara and the mountains in the distance. Against the backdrop of red maples and green trees, the golden light of the sunset looked particularly soft and beautiful, immersed in the beautiful picture given by nature, feeling and enjoying.
No.
10
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Naramachi
4.7
/5
190 reviews
4.4
Based on 352 reviews
2.9 km from downtown
Phone +81-742-268610
Address: Nara, Japan
Recommended sightseeing time: 0.5-1 day
No.4 of Family-Friendly Attractions in Nara
Highlights:
Feed & stroll with deer
Experience handmade Japanese glass beads
Saved by 152 users27% positive reviews
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Nara City, Japan, is an important tourist city in Japan, famous for its deer farming.
The quiet little streets are perfect for a slow-paced trip. There are many small family-style museums where you can see the daily lives of ordinary people in Nara. You can also buy some unique gadgets.
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